I was one of the young US soldiers in Saudi Arabia. At one time before the Internet，our only lifeline to friends and family was the mail we sent and received.

One evening the mail soldier called my name and，instead of a letter，handed me a large box from my grandmother in Oklahoma. One of the great hardships of the war for me was the absence of my grandmother's cooking—her fried chicken and onion，corn bread，and，most of all，her desserts. But on that evening I was about to take a gastronomic（美食的） journey home: I opened the box and found two dozen pies made by my grandmother.

A man from New York approached and asked me what I had received. I couldn't answer；my mouth was full of pie. So I just offered him one. “So nice！”he said. “What are they？”He had to wait a few moments for an answer，but eventually I explained. As insurance，I offered him another pie to keep him quiet.

Once a day for the next three weeks，I imagined returning home to my grandmother's kitchen，if only I had had a few sweet bites at a time.

Some of my earliest memories are associated with my grandmother's pies. She had been baking pies since before the Great Depression. She would have astonished the judges on today's TV cooking challenges. I remember coming across a persimmon（柿子）tree once while out hiking. It was autumn，and the fruit was soft and sweet. I picked a few dozen and brought them to Grandma. Guess what！The next day I walked into her kitchen to find a persimmon pie waiting for me.

   Life is filled with ups and downs. When you feel like you're experiencing more downs than ups，sometimes it helps to get a little tough love. That's why we put together this list of five harsh（残酷的）truths that will help you grow.

1. Life isn't fair.

Life will hand you lemons, often when you least expect it. 【小题1】

2. The first step is always the hardest.

Changing bad habits is tough. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said," 【小题2】 "So if you want to change something, start with small steps.

3. You may be better off without some of the people you currently care about.

Chances are that there's someone in your life you care about deeply who is holding you back. 【小题3】 However, there comes a time when you need to make the tough decision to say no to people who can't help you grow.

4. 【小题4】

If you don't take risks you will have a hard time accomplishing what you want in life. People who truly change the world are the biggest risk-takers. And they treat each failure as an opportunity to grow and get better.

5. You are the only thing to hold yourself back from greatness.

Often we get so caught up in hoping for the next great thing that we don't realize what's unfolding right in front of our faces. 【小题5】 Instead, focus on the positive things you have in your life. Choose to be happy right now.

   When I was 17 , I met a famous doctor named Paul Bragg . He gave me one of the most valuable ______ of my life : a statement that was filled with words of ______ . To this very day , I still ______ it : I am a genius（天才） , and I apply my wisdom .

______ , I was a high school dropout（辍学学生） and was living in a tent in Hawaii . I had a very limited vocabulary and had never ______ reading a single book . When Dr. Bragg taught me this statement , he told me to say it with feelings ______ it were true. To do so seemed so far away from ______ that it was funny . After saying it many times , ______ , I began to feel what those powerful words meant . ______ every day I continued to say it , and it became ______ to believe : I am a genius , and I apply my wisdom .

It was two and a half years later when I really saw the ______ of the statement . I was sitting in a college library ______ by fellow students whom I was helping with higher mathematics . I heard one of the students speak ______ to another . “John is really a ______ !” At the moment , I ______ what Dr. Bragg had taught me , and I ______ to say this statement for the rest of my life .

I can’t quite put into words what a(n) ______ this statement has made in my life . ______  it , I was able to change from a dropout to the top of my college class . I think that the key to ______ is putting your true feelings into a statement you ______ and saying it over and over every day .